RUSSIA
*Russia’s ecology activists, standing against the construction of the highway through the Khimki Forest near Moscow, have spotted new unauthorized forest clearings, one of the activists, Yaroslav Nikitenko said
*Russia will never give up its naval base in Ukraine’s port of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, ex-commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Adm. Igor Kasatonov said
*A delegation of Russian religious, government and public figures will attend the “coming down” of Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem and bring the flame to Moscow on Easter’s Eve
WORLD
*Libyan Prime Minister, Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi held telephone talks with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov about the possible ceasefire in the turbulent country, Libya’s official news agency Jana said
*112 people had been killed on Friday’s anti-governmental massacre in Syria as the security forces opened fire and used teargas against demonstrators who demanded political freedoms and an end to corruption, EFE Spanish news agency said, citing opposition activists
*The Holy Fire appeared at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem while thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers were waiting for the miracle to come
*Thousands of Christian pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem waiting for a miracle of the Holy Fire and to celebrate the annual ritual symbolizing Jesus’ resurrection
*The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is currently paying a visit to Moscow, condemned Syrian government for killing of demonstrators and urged for a “transparent” independent investigation
*Japanese Fukushima prefecture’s Governor Yuhei Sato said he will never allow Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to resume reactor operations at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, cramped by March 11 Japanese tsunami and earthquake, Kyodo news agency said
*U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned the Syrian authorities for the use of force to quell nationwide protests against Bashar Assad’s regime
*Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced that extra income from the country’s oil exports will be allocated for social spending
*The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has set a new world record for beam intensity by colliding its proton beams with the highest luminosity ever achieved by similar devices